1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relates in general to power drivers, and more particularly to a system for mounting a battery pack, which may be implemented on a power driver or a battery charger.
2. Description of Related Art
Cordless power drivers may be energized by electricity from battery packs. The housing of the power driver and/or the housing of a battery charger may be designed to accommodate a specific battery pack. To this end, each of the power driver and the battery charger may have an interface that interacts with a corresponding interface of the battery pack to provide appropriate electrical and mechanical interconnections.
Two conventional interfaces include a “tower” interface and a “rail” interface. When the tower interface is employed, the power driver housing may include a cavity, and housing terminals may be provided in the bottom of the cavity. Here, a portion of the battery pack may be inserted into the cavity of the housing so that battery terminals (which may be provided on a nose portion of the battery pack) electrically connect to the housing terminals. The power driver housing may also include features cooperating with a latch mechanism of the battery pack so as to releasably retain the battery pack, as is well known in this art.
When the rail interface is employed, the power driver housing may include opposed grooves and support housing terminals. Here, rails of the battery pack may be inserted into the grooves of the housing so that battery terminals electrically connect to the housing terminals. The power driver housing may also include a latch mechanism that cooperates with a feature of the battery pack so as to releasably retain the battery pack, as is well known in this art.
Although conventional interfaces of a power driver and a battery charger are generally thought to be acceptable, they are not without shortcomings. For example, the power driver and the battery charger may accommodate only a single battery pack mounting configuration. To address this shortcoming, adapters have been developed that may allow a power tool specifically designed for a first type of mounting configuration to accommodate a battery pack suitable for a second type of mounting configuration. However, adapters may become lost, may require cumbersome manipulations, and may be associated with other inconveniences.